What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Barre has the most affordable homes ($394k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Douglas	Barre
People
Population	9,207Highest	5,572Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Highest 10% above MA	43.8±8.5Lowest 9% above MA
	Douglas and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%	15.8%±5.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±5.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Barre and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	31.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3 MA: 7.9%	5.4%±3.2 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA	$107,727±$13kLowest 4% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kHighest 16% below MA	$394,300±$55kLowest 30% below MA
	Douglas and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA	$1,030±$713Lowest 42% below MA
	Douglas and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Highest 6% above MA	$5,163Lowest 14% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	38.2%±27.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Barre and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	8.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 16% above MA	36 minHighest 24% above MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	11.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#134 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Quabbin
High school in town	Douglas High School	Quabbin Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	12.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.